Black Bean Hazelnut Brownies


When I first discovered a black bean brownie recipe, I was incredibly skeptical. I couldn't imagine how beans could make a dessert, but I've now developed two black bean brownie recipes. Who knows I might even create some more as time goes on. It's not as sweet as a typical brownie and has more of a dark chocolate flavor. The hazelnut butters nods a bit toward Nutella, at least to me.




Black Bean Hazelnut Brownies

2 cups cooked and drained black beans (reserving ½ cup liquid)*
2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons hot water
¼ cup date sugar
2-4 tablespoons molasses**
¼ cup cooking liquid from bean
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup cacao powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon***
¼ teaspoon cardamom****
1 teaspoon matcha powder, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken slightly.

Place all ingredients except cacao nibs in a food processor. Process until smooth. If mixture is too thick and stiff, add remaining reserved cooking liquid one tablespoon at a time until desired smoothness is met. Mixture will be quite thick.

Add cacao nibs or chocolate chips and pulse 4-6 times until incorporated into mixture.

Cover bottom of square baking pan (8 x 8 or 9x9) with parchment paper. Spread mixture in pan.

Bake 18-20 minutes until set. Be careful to not overbake.

Allow to cool in pan until completely cool, at least 20 minutes.

*You can use canned beans if you don't want to cook your own beans. I prefer to cook them myself because it gives me more control over what's in them and allows me to avoid excess salt in my diet.

** I use 2 tablespoons of molasses, but if that's not sweet enough for you, you can add up to 2 more. Or you can substitute maple syrup for the molasses. Just be aware molasses has more nutritional value than maple syrup.

*** I like to use Ceylon Cinnamon and grind my own sticks because it has a fresher, more robust flavor.

**** I like to use cardamom pods and grind them myself because they have a fresher, more intense flavor.

NOTE: I use organic ingredients whenever possible, so I rarely use the word in my ingredients list.

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